An epic western with a fascinating premise - a young man tracks down the outlaws who killed his white father and Kiowa Indian mother - is suffocated by lethargic direction from veteran Henry Hathaway, though the film is redeemed by Lucien Ballard's lush photography and an outstanding supporting cast. Playing a younger version of the character played by Alan Ladd in The Carpetbaggers, a miscast Steve McQueen brings star presence to a film that was backed by his own production company, Solar, and became a major hit in its day.

Nevada Smith is the young son of an Indian American mother and European-American father. When his father is killed by three men over gold, Nevada sets out to find them and kill them. The boy is taken in by a gun merchant. The gun merchant shows him how to shoot and to shoot on time and correct.